Hand-seeder.



's. B. & J. I. RITTENHOUSE. O. L. BITTEKHOUSLEXEOUTBIX 01 B. B. BITTENKOUBE, DEOD.

HAND srinnnn. APPLICATION FILED IULY IB. 1808.

2 BHEETB-BHBET 1.

927,429. Patented July 6,1909.

WITNESSES: IN VENTORS ATTORNEY new. I. GMMAI 00,. Puom-urmmmms. wnmmu. a. g.

S. B. 8: J. F. RITTENHOUSB.

0. L. nm'rmwnonsz, EXEGUTBIX or s. B. nm'rmwnonsn, DEOD.

HAND SBEDEB.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 16. 1908.

Patented July 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-BHEBT 2.

WITNESSES:

Mam i R it; ATTORNEY mrww. s GMIMM c0, ruow-Llmoamwim mama-mu, u. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILAS B. RI'ITEN HOUSE AND JAMES FREEMAN RITTENHOUSE, OF LIBERTY MILLS, INDIANA;

CLARISSA L. RITTEN HOUSE, EXEOUTRIX OF SAID SILAS B. RITTENHOUSE, DECEASED,

ASSIGNOR TO SAID JAMES FREEMAN RITTENI'IOUSE.

HAND-SEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 16,

Patented July 6, 1909.

1908. Serial No. 443,771.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SILAS B. KITTEN- IIOUSE and JAMES FREEMAN RITTnNI-ioUsn, citizens of the United States of America, re- 5 siding at Liberty Mills, in the county of Wabash and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Seeders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to l the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of the seeder; Fig. 2 1s a bottom view of the same; Fig. 3, a side elevational view of the same in an inverted position; Fig. 4, a view of the hopper closing 1 devices; Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 views of details described hereinafter.

Our invention relates to improvements in broad-cast handseeders in which a distributer wheel is rotated by means of gears operative from a crank; and the objects of our invention are to provide a handseeder with a distributer wheel which is formed of a single sheet of metal and mounted on its shaft without soldering; to provide a simple mechanism by which the distributer wheel may be rotated; to provide a slide which shall be capable of adjustment it its movement in order to regulate the size of the delivery oiening of the hopper for different seeds, all as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, we provide a board 1 which forms the bottom of the seed holding bag 2 and also a support for the operating mechanism. Board 1 is provided with a circular opening 3 for the seed to pass through, half of which opening is closed by a plate l secured by of board 1.. Plate 4 is provided with an opening in the form of a half cylinder, the

curved portion of which practically coincides with the curved edge of opening 3. Under this plate is placed a slide 6, having a curved segment removed from its front portion thereby producing a curved concave edge 6 to operate in connection with straight edge 4 in plate 4 to regulate the passage of the seeds. Slide 6 is retained on board 1 by screws 5 and 5 and is movable under those screws by a rod or lever 7 which is pivoted to board 1 at 8 and passes through lug 9 on slide 6 and also passes through a suitable guide 10 on board 1. We regulate the movement of l0V617 by a bar 11, one end screws 5 to thc under side j of which passes under the lever and is provided with an abutment 12. A thumb nut 13 which passes through a slot 14: in bar 11 serves to fix bar 11 in the desired position. A suitable division scale 15 on board 1 enables the operator to adjust bar 11 for any desired seed. By this regulation of the movement of lever 7 the movement of slide 6 is, of course, regulated to provide the proper opening for the discharge of the seed which it is desired to feed into the distributor wheel.

The shaft 17 of the distributor wheel 16 passes through an opening in lug 18 on plate 4, the upper end being provided with a stirrer 19 and the lower end passing through a support 20, the extremity of support 20 at this point being doubled or turned on itself to furnish a suitable bearing for shaft 17. Shaft 17 carries a pinion 21 which meshes with gear wheel 22, the latter being mounted on a support 23. Support 23 is fixed to sup ort 20 as by rivet 24 and is provided wit i legs 25 and 26 in which is mounted shaft 27, which shaft carries gear wheel 28. Gear Wheel 28 meshes with pinion 29 mounted on gear wheel 22. Shaft 27 terminates in crank 30 by which the several gear wheels and pinions and distributor wheel 16 are rotated. The end of one leg 25 of support 23 is doubled on itself to furnish a suitable bearing for shaft 27. This leg is also fixed to a support 31 which is mounted on shield 32.

Distributer wheel 16 comprises a single sheet of metal, such as tin, having a tapering wing or prong formed on each end, with an upwardly projecting flange on each side intermediate the two wings or prongs, as shown in Fig. 3. An upright rib 16, extending from end to end of the plate, is pressed into the same by doubling the metal over 011 its longitudinal axis. An opening 16 is provided in the center through the rib, through which opening shaft 17 is adapted to project. Wheel 16 is hold fast to shaft 17 by a ferrule 16 and rivet 16 which passes through the ferrule, rib 16 and shaft 17 Slot 16 and the lower portion of slot 16 permit the ferrule to engage both sides of rib 16 as those sides surround shaft 17.

The curved strip 33 mounted on board 1 and attached to shield 32 is adapted to be placed against the person of the operator as he grasps handle 34 with one hand. The

other hand is thus free to manipulate crank 30 to rotate the distributer wheel. The free end of lever 7 is curved up over the edge of board 1 and also inclined toward shield32 so as to be easily accessible to the hand grasping handle 34. The operator may thus manipulate slide 6 with his thumb without releasing his hand from handle 34.

T o regulate the size of the discharge opening in board 1 for any particular seed, it is only necessary to adjust bar 11 to the desired point on scale 15, thumb nut 13 is tightened, and as abutment 14 lies against rod7, the movement of that rod and slide 6 away from the discharge opening in board 1 is thereby limited. WVhen slide 6 has been moved to close discharge opening 3 and it is desired to again distribute the seed, rod 7 is moved until it strikes abutment 14, and since that abutment is temporarily fixed, a discharge opening of constant cross sectional area is assured for any given seed.

We provide a notch or recess 20 in support 20 near shaft 17 to enable the assembler or operator to mesh pinion 21 with gear wheel 22. Notch or recess 20 weakens sup port 20 at this point sufficiently to permit the bending of that support toward or away from gear wheel 22 should pinion 21 at any time not properly mesh with gear wheel 22.

By forming the distributer Wheel of a single piece of metal no sharp edges occur at any point which will mutilate or damage the seed, and as no soldered parts are used there is nothing about the wheel to be separated or loosened on its shaft by blows from the seed as is often the case with distributer wheels having soldered )arts. The supporting frame for the wheef driving gear is very simple and rigid, the shaft bearings are efficient and simple of construction and the rotation of the distributor wheel is effected with great ease and'convenience.

What we claim is:

1. A hand seeder comprising a bottom board having an opening therein, a plate covering part of said opening, an adjustable slide adapted to close the remaining portion of said opening, a distributer wheel formed from a single sheet of metal and having a continuous rib pressed therein from end to end, a shaft passing through said plate and through the wheel, said wheel being retained on the shaft by a slotted ferrule, a crank, and gears and pinions connecting the crank and shaft whereby the distributer wheel is rotated.

2. A hand seeder comprising a bottom board having an opening therein, a plate covering part of the opening, an adjustable slide adapted to close more or less the remaining portion of the opening, a distributer wheel formed froma single sheet of metal and havmg a continuous longitudinal rib pressed therein and extending from end to end there of, a perpendicular opening through the said rib adapted to receive a shaft, the shaft being retained within the opening by a ferrule which is slotted to enable the sides of theferrule to engage the expanded sides of the rib about said opening, a crank, and gears and inions between the crank and shaft whereby the distributer wheel is rotated.

3. In a hand seeder the combination with a bottom board having an opening therein, of a shalt projecting into said opening and having a stirrer operative within the opening, a distributer wheel formed of a single sheet of metal and having a continuous ribpressed therein and extending from end. to end thereof, a perpendicular opening in the rib to receive the shaft, and a ferrule mounted on the shaft and engaging the sides of the rib adj acent to said opening.

4. In a hand seeder the combination with a bottom board having an opening therein, of a shaft mounted over and projecting into the opening, a distributor wheel mounted on the shaft, a pinion on the shaft, the lower end of the shaft having'a bearing in a support mounted on the bottom board, the bearing being formed by doubling or folding over the free extremity of the support, a recess in the support adjacent to the bearing, and means for rotating the pinion and shaft and means on the support by which the shaft and pinion may be adjusted laterally for the uses and purposes described.

5. In a hand seeder the combination of a bottom board having an opening therein, a plate covering a portion of said opening, a slide adapted to cooperate with said plate'to vary the cross sectional area of the remaining portion of said opening, a shaft mounted in said plate and having mounted thereon a distributer wheel and carrying at its lower end a pinion, a support mounted on the bottom board provided at its free end with a bearing for said lower end of the shaft, a recess in the support adjacent to the bearing whereby the bearing is adapted to be transversely adjustable, a crank, and gearing between the crank and pinion whereby the distributer wheel is rotated.

In witness whereof we hereunto subscribe our names in the presence of two witnesses.

SILAS B. RITTENHOUSE. J. FREEMAN RITTENHOUSE.

l/Vitnesses:

CLARISSA L. RITTENnoUsE, HARRIET CHRIswELL. 

